Winterhawks ready to take the ice

Coach/GM Johnston is back for more; opener is Saturday

On the side of the Interstate 205 freeway, there stands a billboard with a huge image of Mike Johnston and the words “He’s back.”

Johnston, who lives on the west side, hasn’t seen the billboard. He’s aware of the Portland Winterhawks’ marketing campaign along the same lines — “He’s back,” meaning the man who helped Portland reach the top of the Western Hockey League returns as general manager and coach, as well as vice president, giving the organization and its fans great hope for this season and the future.

“Expectations — I want things to move quickly, but I’m realistic,” Johnston said. “We have work to do. We have to go through the process and I know we can make improvements.”

The hockey side is one thing (see Johnston Q&A in Sports); off the ice is another thing. The Winterhawks continue to have success, being self-sustaining, according to Doug Piper, team president. Attendance lagged somewhat last season, but still went up to 7,400 fans per game.

And, with another year of strong promotions, the team aims to get more people through the Veterans Memorial Coliseum and Moda Center turnstiles.

Promotional highlights are:

• Sept. 24, Opening Night, Moda, vs. Seattle

• Sept. 30, Hawktoberfest, VMC, vs. Everett

• Oct. 29, Pink the Rink, Moda, vs. Kelowna•n Oct. 30, Halloween, Moda, vs. Tri-City

• Nov. 12, Military Salute, Moda, vs. Calgary

• Nov. 23, Airplane Toss, Moda, vs. Edmonton

• Dec. 10, Teddy Bear Toss, VMC, vs. Everett

• Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve, Moda, vs. Seattle

• Feb. 4, Mascot Night, Moda, vs. Seattle

• March 3, Dash For Cash, Moda, vs. Vancouver

• March 4, Jersey Off Backs, VMC, vs. Vancouver

• March 12, Jersey Off Backs, Moda, vs. Everett

In addition, the Hawks will televise 10 games on Portland’s CW32 this season; they’ll be available on Comcast Cable channel 3 and on DirectTV channel 32. The rival Seattle-heavy lineup: Sept. 24, vs. Seattle; Oct. 1, at Seattle; Oct. 15, at Spokane; Nov. 19, vs. Seattle; Jan. 14, vs. Spokane; Feb. 4, vs. Seattle; Feb. 11, at Seattle; Feb. 18, at Seattle; March 11, vs. Seattle; March 18, at Seattle.

For more: www.winterhawks.com.